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DC's DJ Trayze Makes an Original Track Using Samples From the Smithsonian

If you're not aware of Washington, DC's DJ Trayze who just made a solid future bass track for the Smithsonian Institution of all organizations, here's a brief introduction and a few reasons why you should be aware of him.

From being a 2013 Red Bull ThreeStyle DC Champion and runner-up in ThreeStyle's East Coast finals, DJ Trayze is a 14-year veteran whose skills behind a set of turntables are already the stuff of local legend and national renown. However, as a teacher at the DC-area Beat Refinery, his knowledge of not just DJing, but of Ableton Pro becomes quite apparent. When people ask me about being sustainable while also making music, Trayze is the first guy that comes to mind. He's holding down a job working behind the decks and breaking down the tools of the trade, and he'll sometimes even be the guy who gets the crazy corporate gig, or even DJ at Nationals Park before the Washington Nationals take to the baseball diamond. As well, he's traveled the world, playing in the Middle East, Asia, and the Caribbean.

Insofar as how he ends up making an original song after the Smithsonian opened their sound archives to the public to be used as samples for original musical compositions and remixes, I'll turn the storytelling over to him:

"I used all samples from the "Encyclopedia of Life" archive, which contained different nature sounds, including birds, insects, and other animals. Almost all of the percussion, drums, and a few of the melodic sounds were created using these samples. I created the song in a future-bass sort of style. This is something that I have been feeling lately, and I wanted to create a song that reflected that movement. Moving, powerful, but chill. I was given only a few days to create this from start to finish, but it turned out pretty much how I wanted it to, given the time constraints. The Smithsonian asked me, representing Beat Refinery, to be a part of the Remix Project's Main event in Washington, DC - one of a series of events called #SMITHSONIANat8."

Definitely check out the track - which is mind blowing when you consider the story, and if in DC on Friday night, do check out the event as well.